1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a method for dynamically controlling a central processing unit (CPU). More specifically this invention relates to a method for dynamically controlling a CPU under the control of a neural network.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, the electronic and electric industrials make great technological innovations because of the progressive semiconductor technology. Due to the great developments of the high technologies, the personal computers (PCs) have become more popular all over the world and further build a real and fantastic global village through the Internet. Leading by the technology, the information era has come to the world ineffably.
Regarding the PCs, desktop computers are major products. However, each component of the computer, such as the host machine, the monitor, the keyboard and the mouse, occupies the desk that the computer is set. Therefore, in addition to wasting the setting space for the computer, the mobility of the computer is worse because the desktop computer cannot be so easily moved from one place to another at will. However, under the researchers' and the developers' efforts, a notebook (laptop) computer has been developed and commercialized toward a small, thin and compact product. Because of its high convenience, the notebook computer has become an indispensable weapon for commerce and business and an important product in the field of PC-related products.
Although people cannot resist the mobility of the notebook computer, the power supply and heat issues are still existed difficulties for the notebook computer. Therefore, the developers and researchers do their best to find a way to reduce the power consumption and to extent the working time of the battery of the notebook computer. The operation frequency of the CPU is determined by both an external frequency and a clock multiplier factor (for example 4.5×, or 5×). Therefore, if the computer system can adjust the clock multiplier factor and the operating voltage (for example, 1.6V˜0.975V) according to the condition when the computer is working, the CPU frequency can be raised (to increase the clock multiplier factor) to increase the operation efficiency in the condition that the CPU is busy (or a higher CPU usage rate) even though the external frequency (66 or 100 MHz currently) is fixed. In addition, when the computer system is idle, the CPU frequency can be lowered (to decrease the clock multiplier factor) to save power. Accordingly, the computer system will dynamically adjust the operation frequency of the CPU based on the CPU usage condition so that the power save and heat problems can be solved.
However, in practice, the above method is very difficult to implement because the clock multiplier factor has been fixed when the CPU is made. For example, the CPU made by Intel or AMD has a fixed clock multiplier factor that cannot be adjusted. To alter the operation frequency of the CPU, the only way is to change the external frequency. Currently, the external frequency is changed by jumps on the motherboard or BIOS. Once the operating system is loaded, the external frequency cannot be changed any more. Therefore, conventionally, it is impossible to dynamically adjust the operation frequency of the CPU with a fixed clock multiplier factor.
Recently, a new developed CPU with a code name “SAMUEL” has no a fixed clock multiplier factor, which can be adjusted according to user's actual demand such that the CPU performance increases. Under such a CPU configuration, it is very possible to adjust the clock multiplier factor for the CPU to save the power consumption. How to make the computer system to adjust the clock multiplier factor based on various situations without rebooting the computer system is the key issue of the invention.